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"Why not keep the tent up until Ellis Island is ready to go?" The way it will work is that Statue Cruises will continue to pick up visitors at both Battery Park and Liberty State Park, and bring them to Ellis Island, where they will disembark and head to the screening center.
The National Park Service in March is expected to remove an eyesore in lower Manhattan - the large security tent in front of Castle Clinton in Battery Park that's used to screen a daily crush of visitors to the Statue of Liberty.
The tent was erected in December 2001, intended as a temporary measure in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
But it has endured, much to the annoyance of tourists and the boat operator that takes them to the island, who have complained for years about long lines that can take an hour or more to get through.
The park service, however, is finally ready to move its security-screening operation to Ellis Island, a plan that was delayed in 2011 because the New York Police Department did not sign off on it when park officials first floated the idea.
"The counterterrorism unit of the NYPD had concerns about how the new system would work," said David Luchsinger, superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. "We've addressed those concerns."
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.
The security tent has remained unused since Sandy floodwaters ruined electrical power sources, walkways, docks and other infrastructure at Liberty and Ellis islands, closing them to visitors.
Park officials expect to announce within the next two weeks a reopening date for both islands, possibly either around the Memorial or Independence Day holidays.
"We are shooting for a summer opening," said Mr. Luchsinger, though both islands may open with temporary power.
Moving the security operation to federally controlled parkland will reduce the time it takes to move visitors onto sightseeing boats. The Battery Park tent had just seven screening machines, like the ones used at airports, and there were two at Liberty State Park in New Jersey, where visitors can also board ferries to the islands. That was hardly enough to easily accommodate the 3.9 million people who visit the islands annually.
Mr. Luchsinger said the park service will install at least 15 machines on Ellis Island. The exact number is still being determined, as is the location of the facility on the island, which has unused buildings.
Not so fast
The tent downtown, meanwhile, is expected to have its stakes pulled up in March, when its contract expires. That schedule worries the ferry company that has an exclusive contract with the park service to transport people to Liberty and Ellis islands. Statue Cruises would like the park service to renew the tent contract and keep the downtown security system operational in case the new security apparatus on Ellis Island is not ready by the time the two islands are able to reopen to visitors.
"I'd hate for us to be in a situation where everything is ready to go and somebody from NYPD or the Coast Guard or the contractor who is installing the-security says there is a hiccup," said Michael Burke, chief operating officer of Statue Cruises. "Why not keep the tent up until Ellis Island is ready to go?"
The way it will work is that Statue Cruises will continue to pick up visitors at both Battery Park and Liberty State Park, and bring them to Ellis Island, where they will disembark and head to the screening center. Then they will get on a second ferry heading to the Statue of Liberty.
Unforeseen problems?
"Before, we couldn't process people quickly enough when the boats were leaving every 20 minutes," said Mr. Luchsinger. "The boats were leaving sometimes three-quarters full."
The closure of the islands after Sandy has cost Statue Cruises revenue and jobs for 130 employees, who were laid off. The company had long pushed for the park service to address the long lines that formed outside the security screening tent, discouraging people from visiting the islands.
But Mr. Burke is disheartened by the park services decision to close the lower Manhattan facility before security on Ellis Island is ready.
"There is no contingency plan for unforeseen problems," he said.
Copyright Crain Communications, Incorporated Feb 25, 2013